American news outlets seem to do everything in their power to attain good ratings, rather than provide accurate and non misleading information. 

A prime example of the failure to present all sides of an issue is regarding the recent attack on Israel.

Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel deserves conversation and awareness; however, American news is failing to communicate important aspects of the conflict. 

Only focusing on Hamas’ actions, the terrorist group that attacked Israel, is negating the most important part of the conflict: the men, women and children living in Palestine, Israel and Gaza. 

All of Israel – including the Gaza Strip and West Bank – used to be under Palestinian control. Over the course of several years, Palestine was pushed by Israel’s military to Gaza and the West Bank. Out of frustration, Hamas – a terrorist organization – was born. Now, Hamas is attempting to take back the land it believes to be theirs, regardless of who it hurts in the process, according to History.

Followers of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish religions believe they have rights to the territory surrounding Jerusalem, a major city for most major religions. 

Nader Alghoul, an NIU graduate student who worked in Gaza and is Palestinian, said he understands the conflict and its complexities. The Palestinian territories are broken up into three types of governance. The significance of these administrative and security distinctions is how the Israeli government breaks up Palestinian control of its territory.

“They (Palestine) have 3 criteria’s for their land: A, B, C. A is under full Palestinian control, which is the city centers of most West Bank cities. You have B which is under Palestinian administrative control but security is for the Israeli. C is under both security and administrative control of the Israeli, and that is about 60% of the West Bank,” Alghoul said.

Palestine should be its own state. By maintaining control of Palestinian areas, Israel hinders Palestine’s ability to grow and become self-sufficient. 

Despite the primary focus being on Israel’s involvement in Palestine, Alghoul explains reasons the U.S. may be the only country able to act. 

“The dynamic of their relationship is different. We give Israel $3.8 billion a year,” Alghoul said.

Outside of the monetary aid that the U.S. provides Israel, there is a social incentive for Israel to remain on positive terms with America. 

“I think that America are happy with the status quo because conflict keeps some countries in need of American support. Conflict is complicated, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is no exception,” Alghoul said. “The media will never be able to give a comprehensive explanation in a single newscast. The least they could do, though, is paint an accurate picture of the conflict outside of the actions of one terrorist group.” 

The unique relationship between the U.S. and Israel may be the reason why American news sources do not want to give Palestine the time of day. By portraying countries as barbaric and treacherous, the U.S. can give its citizens the safe feeling that they are supporting the correct side: Israel. 

For example, a New York Times article explains the conflict between Israel and Palestine in a way that paints Israelis as victims of an attack from a terrorist group, which is technically true. There is discussion of the thousands of Israeli people who have died; however, their coverage of Palestinian deaths is significantly lacking outside of a statement made early on in the publication. The piece did not explain that the reason for the attack had to do with Hamas’ feelings that Israel continually invalidates Palestine as its own nation.

Additionally, American news outlets promote propaganda that portrays all Palestinians as terrorists, which is dangerously nationalist. 

NPR published an article which shows a poll where most Americans surveyed believe the U.S. should support Israel rather than Palestine. While the article does not explain why Americans prefer to support Israel, the headlines from other news sources may explain the negative sentiment towards Palestinians.

Initially, the attacks on Israel were described by the Associated Press under the headline “Israeli village near the Gaza border lies in ruin, filled with the bodies of residents and militants.” 

Conversely, when Israel’s counteraction was discussed, a PBS headline read “Israel approves ‘significant’ steps to retaliate against Hamas as casualties continue to rise.”

In both headlines, Israel is either noted to be the victim or completely justified in its actions after the attack.

While the publications themselves are not necessarily problematic, many people do not read full articles. The purpose of a headline is to give readers an idea of what the article is about without having to read it. Additionally, headlines are designed to entice readers.

By writing eye-catching headlines, news outlets get more clicks and views, which improves their ratings. 

An article’s performance should not be based on a sensationalized headline, but rather a holistic headline. Unfortunately, America’s news outlets seem too focused on the ad-revenue from clicks.

Regardless of the representation of the conflict from news outlets, Israel has every right to defend itself against attacks from the terrorist group that attacked them. Both Palestinians and the Israelis deserve to be able to mourn their losses. No death is better than another. 

Despite the need to sympathize with the deaths of many civilians, the attack on Israel from Hamas – not Palestine – came after years of conflict, both politically and militarily.

“People in Gaza, the majority, doesn’t support Hamas, and that’s a fact,” Alghoul said.

The failure of U.S. news outlets to explain the reality of the Israel-Hamas conflict prevents the international community from understanding the conflict in an unbiased and factual way. 

Aside from the opinions of the international community being skewed, DeKalb’s residents are being harmed by the failure of U.S. news to portray events accurately. 

The news’ sole focus on the gruesome, deadly and scary parts of news perpetuates a dangerous anti non-white people sentiment in America. 

Good views and high ratings are not worth a life. 

A 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy was killed in Plainfield, Illinois, last week, according to Fox 32 News Chicago. 

This boy will never experience life, and American news outlets are to be blamed, at least in part. 

Had news outlets focused on differentiating the civilians and the terrorists, this boy might have lived. 

Instead of instilling terror in Americans, news outlets should be highlighting the difference between heinous terrorist groups and innocent civilians. 

American nationalism should not be funded by the news in an aggressive, dramatic and destructive way. It most certainly should not be directed towards children. 

A 6-year-old is not a terrorist. 

The idea that anyone could believe a child is a terrorist is horrendous.

“We feel threatened in our communities, so that’s the sad part,” Alghoul said. 

Before U.S. news outlets make commentary focused on heinous actions, they should consider the civilians and reality of the situation, rather than a sense of terror they wish to instill in the minds of Americans and the international community for clicks and views.